England vs South Africa Match Report

England went into their game against South Africa knowing that another defeat would seriously damage their chances of progressing to the quarter-final following their loss against the West Indies. The game started off well enough for them as they won the toss and sent South Africa into bat.

A tight opening over from David Willey gave England encouragement, but South Africa’s Quinton de Kock began and assault on Reece Topley as England struggled to control the Proteas openers. Hashim Amla soon got in the on act as Chris Jordan’s first over went for 22. As the South African assault continued, England skipper Eoin Morgan turned to spin.

Moeen Ai picked up the wicket of de Kock, but not before the young opener had done some serious damage, scoring 52 off just 24 balls. Adil Rashid got rid of South Africa’s talisman AB de Villiers, before Ali got his second wicket of the match in the shape of Hashim Amla, to leave South Africa with a score of 133-3 after twelve overs.

Once Ali and Rashid finished their overs the floodgates threatened to open again, although Willey got rid of South Africa captain Faf du Plesiss as the run rate dropped below 11-an-over with four overs left. 

In the final overs of the innings, Jordan and Topley were unable to prevent the runs from flowing, as South Africa reached 229-4 at the end of their innings and JP Duminy finished the innings unbeaten on 54. England will have no doubt be disappointed with their performance with the ball, and if they were to win the game they need their batsmen to be at their best.

England started their reply in impressive fashion, scoring 21 off the first over. Dale Steyn’s first over went for 23, and although England soon lost Alex Hales for 17, England has a score of 65-1 after just four overs.

Roy eventually went for 43, and Stokes was sent up the order to bat at three. Although he managed a few heavy blows, he was dismissed for just 15. The England innings began to stall with Root and Morgan at the crease, and the England captain was eventually dismissed for a disappointing 12 off 15 balls.

With Jos Buttler coming to the crease, England again found momentum. Joe Root began finding the boundary with ease as England made light work of South Africa’s seamers. The pair put on a 50 partnership off just 23 balls as England began to believe they could achieve a famous victory.

Root bought up his 50 off just 29 balls and as the required rate began to drop, an unlikely England win looked as though it was going to take place. Although Buttler was stumped on 21, Root continued to power on, guiding England closer to what would be an historic win.

Root was eventually out for 83, with England just 11 short of their victory target. Chris Jordan came to the crease but was unable to see the job through, being dismissed for five. When David Willey was ran out, it looked as though it could be a nervy end, but Ali found a gap in the field to send England to a famous win with two balls remaining.

The win means that England’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals remain alive. If they win their next two matches against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, they will secure a place in the knock out stages. This win will live long in England fan’s memories, and it also has its place in the history books. No team has ever chased down a bigger score in international T20 matches. If England continue to bat like this and improve their bowling, they may fancy their chances of going all the way and winning the tournament.